I am a yoga instructor living in Shreveport, LA. I love all things yoga and see yoga in all things.
Namaste!

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Monday, April 30, 2012

Be Like Water My Friend...

For someone who
does not know how to swim, I love the beach. I grew up by the beach. I have
spent countless hours collecting shells, building sand castles, jumping waves.
Why don't I know how to swim, I don't know, it just didn’t happen. But this
post is about Water. So different from Earth, it is fluid, it moves, it hugs
everything and it spills everywhere.

I love water
routines because it forces me out of my element, pun intended :)I am used to order and following rules and so
water routines help me break free of the mold I have forced myself into. I
suspect most yogis feel the same way.

Water is the
only element that defies gravity. In our bodies, it moves up with our blood, in
plants it helps the seedling grow up away from the earth, away from gravity.
And so, water seems a perfect complement to earth. Water seems to hug the
earth, moving in streams, rivers, ponds, washing away dust with the rain, it
smoothes its way upstream, downstream, it takes up the shape of any vessel and
just like that it is shapeless. Water seems so graceful, endless, deep and is a
part of us.

What is it about
the ocean that makes us go silent? There is something in the rhythm of the
waves, the unending horizon and the world that lives just beneath the surface. It’s
coming, going, cold, warm, skimming, crashing, starting, ending...just like our
breath, just like Vinyasa.

Water governs
the pelvis, its source - the ball of the foot, its medium the bones, and its
control the joints. Twists are a great way to detox your kidneys, intestines
and liver. Apply pressure on the line following the big toe to help stimulate
your kidneys.

What can we
learn from water?

Water is Patient and Persistent - Water finds
the path of least resistance. And if it has to force its way, it smoothes
everything along its path. The Grand Canyon is a shining example of how water
slowly chiseled away to form one of the greatest natural wonders of our time. A
true lesson in patience.

Water Stays True to Itself - Water always
comes back to being water, no matter how or what changes it. Water is unique in
that it is the only natural substance that is found in all three physical
states—liquid, solid, and gas Water to steam to water. Water to ice to water.
water is always water. We should always come back to our true self, our center,
our truth, no matter what changes we go through.

Water is Flexible - Water takes the shape of any
vessel yet it is shapeless. This soft, transparent and yielding quality allows
for outside things to show themselves. Empty your mind of thoughts, empty
yourself of feelings, be formless yet whole, be fearless yet soft.

Water is Still - It’s what we inherently crave.
Every profound moment has come from one moment of complete stillness, one
moment of complete clarity. In absolute stillness, you can't see what’s under
the surface; instead you see your reflection.

Water can be Dynamic - Ask any
surfer. It’s all about breaking out of routine, every wave is different, you don’t
know what is coming but you ride it the best way you can, just like life. Water
can also fall hard to generate electricity or softly lap at your feet, kissing
the beach.

"The idea
is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing" - Bruce
Lee

Water can Co-Exist - Water and
Earth do more than co-exist. They seem to bring out the best in each other.
However, water can be made to live with air. Look at a soda can, the liquid is mixed with
water but it’s under pressure, pour it into a glass and they separate, increase
the pressure and it explodes. We know what water does to fire. But besides
extinguishing fire, water changes form and becomes steam.

Water is Expressive - It shows its
anger in the stormy seas and in the waves of emotions you feel. It shows its
tenderness in the soft rain and in your tears. Anonymous said it best "May
your joys be as deep as the ocean, your sorrows as light as its foam."

“What makes the
desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

We may not see
it but water is everywhere. It might be deep in the ground, high up in the sky,
its in the ladybird buzzing around you, and it’s in every breath you take.
Water might be the one thing that connects us all. Venomous reptiles, plants,
your annoying neighbor, the people living in the desert, and the people living
in the mountains. We are all connected.

Water Routine

- Start in
Hero's Pose. Bring your hands to Om Mudra palms face down. Float your hands up
in Om Mudra, reach your hands up, palms face out inhaling. Keeping your hands
in the mudra for as long as you can, exhale your hands down and past your hips.
Do this a few times, finding a rhythm to your breath. After a few times, as you
exhale, lift your hips as your arms go back and then sitting back into hero's
as your arms reach up with the Om Mudra. (Courtesy: Namaste Yoga)

-Come into a
runners lunge with your right foot forward. You can modify bringing your left
knee to the floor. Bring your left palm to the floor on the inside of your right
foot. Inhale your right arm up, exhale it down reaching under your right thigh.
As you do this a few times, you can reach further back with your right arm to help
open up your shoulders.

-Cat Dance -
Start in table top. Lean forward and then take your hips to the right, sit back
into your hips and take your hips to the left. The best way to do this is to
imagine that you are making circles with your back. Do it a few times on each
side.

-Start in
mountain. Lace your fingers behind you, Inhale, lift your chest, and exhale
into rhinoceros. On your next exhale, release your fingers, bend your knees,
lift your chest and sweep your arms up into chair. Inhale. On your next exhale,
bring your hands behind you to lace your fingers. As you do this, you are
straightening out your legs (keeping a slight bend if you like) and coming into
rhinoceros. Flow through this a few times.

- When doing a
water sequence you want to think about lubricating your joints, smoothing out
rough edges. Come into down dog. Point your left leg up, bend your knee, and
stack your hips. Breathe. Now, taking your time, and keeping that knee bent, make
circles with your knee, 2 or 3 in one direction and then switch. Once you have
done that, straighten out your left leg, and point it to the left, your leg is
at 90 degrees.Hold for a breath. Bend
that knee and stack your hips one last time. On your next exhale, bring that knee
through to pigeon. After a few breaths, curl your right toes and press all the
way back to down dog. Repeat on the right side.

- Laying down,
come into a shoulder stand. If you are in the mood, go into plough. Staying in
control, release and sit all the way up coming into cross legged position or
bound angle. Lean forward on an exhale to help open your hips.Stay here for a complete inhale and exhale.
Inhale your chest back up, lay down bringing your knees to your chest going into
shoulder stand or plough. Go through this flow at least 3 times.

Water Meditation

You can do a
visual meditation where you let your students imagine they are at a beach. They
can hear the waves, taste the salty air, feel the sand underneath them. They
hear a wave coming, it caresses their foot and ankles, as it returns to the
ocean, it takes away some of the tension and pain. Keep doing this, slowly
going up the body until you reach the shoulders.

Word of caution: I had an instructor do this
and I did not enjoy it because I don’t know how to swim. Imagining water
‘claiming’ me was not pleasant. Be sure to ask your students if they have
issues with water before you proceed with visual meditations.

"Don’t get
set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.
Empty your mind, be formless, be shapeless - like water. Water is fearless. Now
you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle and
it becomes the bottle; you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now,
water can flow, drip, creep or crash. Be water, my friend.”

2 comments:

found your blog while googling for other muslim practitioners. I am an aspiring ashtangi in a country that infamously banned yoga and things have been going well so far. it's all about the faith and the right focus, i believe :)

I completely agree. I still find myself in tight spots, like when I go for a training and its at an ashram, but i dont take part in the rituals and they are so understanding of my beliefs. and that is the essence of yoga. it knows no age sex, creed, color. if it makes you happy and if it makes your faith stronger, go for it. Allah would want you to do it :)

About Me

Hi!
I am a yogi living in Shreveport, LA. I love all things yoga and find yoga in all things. I am not sure what the destination is, but know I am on the right path. Hope you enjoy my blog. You can also find me on facebook at Yogi Fari.
Namaste.